The present invention relates to a portable personal computer and an electronic camera, and more particularly to an improvement of a mount structure for mounting an electronic camera such as a CCD camera in a personal computer.
A CCD camera which is connectable to a desktop type personal computer through a cable as shown in FIG. 1 has been known as an image pickup device for taking an image into a personal computer. As shown in FIG. 1, the desktop type personal computer comprises a main body 2, a display 3 for displaying graphics, characters, etc. on a screen, and a keyboard 4 which is connected to the main body 2 and performs an input operation.
An expansion slot which is to be connected to an external equipment (not shown) is provided in the main body 2, and a board having an interface circuit for inputting/outputting signals from/to the CCD camera 5 is inserted in the expansion slot to control image pickup and input image data of a pick-up image.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the CCD camera 5 has a tabletop structure, and it can pickup an image to which a lens barrel 6 thereof is directed. When the CCD camera 5 is mounted on the display 3, it picks up the image of the upper half body of a user of a personal computer 1. By using such a CCD camera 5, the user can see an image of another user of another personal computer which is connected through a computer network. As omitted in FIG. 1, if a microphone is connected to the personal computer 1 to transmit voice through the computer network, an user can have a conversation with another user while sitting before his or her computer.
The recent enhancement of CPUs enables portable personal computers to process image data, and thus it has been required that the portable personal computers take in image data.
However, with respect to an image pickup device which is connectable to a conventional personal computer, an image pickup range (imaging range) is limited to a direction in which the lens barrel 6 is directed as shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, when an image of a desired subject is picked up, the image pickup device mounting position restricted, and this is inconvenient. Further, for example, when an image is taken outdoors by using a portable personal computer, a user must carry not only the portable personal computer, but also a cable and a CCD camera 5, and thus it has a problem in portability.